OK kiddies, story time:


Some years back, here in Fairbanks, Alaska, I was exploring one of the old cabins along the creek were the original gold discovery claim for this mining district is at. Two miners had obviously lived there as there
were 2 bunks, two stools, etc.

I noticed two deep dents torn and worn in to the small table edge, one on each side, which struck me as curious strange.

Checking outside, in the kitchen midden, garbage heap, I noticed it was mostly quart bottles, at least 70 or 80, probably a hundred or more, broken off at the neck. On closer examination I found they were all, each and every one, 150 proof Hudson's Bay Rum bottles that came with corks, not caps, back in the day. The ones nearest the cabin back door, the broken necks were rough and jagged, less jagged a little farther out, but all the rest, each and every one, one smooth, clean fracture line.

OK, putting it all together, the dents the bottles, those two miners, after a long day, would grab a corked bottle of rum and no stinkin' cork screw? No problem, they'd break the bottle against the table edge enjoy their after work rum and toss the empty bottles out the back door on to the garbage heap!

Again, looking at the kitchen midden, noting rough breaks near the door, smooth fractures farther out, they became quite skilled and adept at opening their evening tipple without a cork screw as time went by!

Having said that, I admit we're not the men that used to be. No I don't have a cork screw in my pocket, but I do carry one in my Jeep in case I need it. -grin-